I just bought a used 09 adventure and I'm trying to talk myself into converting it. I'm curious if there's anyone like me with no prior sailing experience and what the learning curve is like. At this point, my primary interest is kayak fishing. Can this craft sail and a consistent 2-3mph trolling speed? Also, can the AI be car topped? I welcome any thoughts or advice.

Augaug, that's an interesting kayak rack. It seems to wrap around the hull and extend the effective width of the roofrack, unlike the usual cradles. What model is it?

That's the Yakima Mako Saddles. I've been really happy with them. The best part is that when you tighten the straps up, they actually hug the boat placing even pressure all the way around, instead of pulling the boat down onto the saddles or bar. They also offer some suspension of the boat, meaning the saddles absorb the bumps instead of the boat.

I have converted mine for fishing and scuba diving. I went pretty crazy to start with, but have now come back to something mid stream, I have seen other keep it very simple and still successfully fish from them.

There is lots of info around and it would pay to have a real good look around before you start. I would also recommend trying to keep it simple and just get out and get used to it first. Once you have an idea about the AI then start taking a rod or two out. Using the standard rear rod holders with a bit of PVC pipe inside for a rod tube will be the easiest and cheapest way to start. Rod leashes are a must have, your main sheet line can catch under the rod eyes and lift them out if you are not careful, plonk and they are gone, I learn't that one the hard way .

Really think about the way you will fish from it the most, whether it be bait, troll, jig, or flick plastics also before you start modifying it.

I find you really need winds 6 knots or more to be able to troll at any consistent speeds. 6 to 12 knots, slow trolling 3 to 4 Km, 12 to 20 knots then I can start getting fast troll speeds up to 10 kmh. This also depends on depth that you are trolling, amount of lures you are trolling and the lure type as they can also greatly reduce speed.